Coaching Model: The Talent Lighthouse

2015/09/23

A Coaching Model Created by Anna Champion(Career Coach, HONG KONG)

Maybe you see yourself as a small fishing boat, or a luxury catamaran or even a large cruise-ship? Whatever you see yourself as you are on a journey and you have a whole host of support mechanisms to help you like a radar (life plan), maps and directions (experience) and crew (family, friends and colleagues). The journey may take in calm waters, encounter some adverse weather and you also need to watch out for sailing to close to the rocks or other vessels in the water. You might be feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the journey or alternatively be getting bored of the calm waters and looking for a fresh challenge.

You see in the distance something bright – the beam of a lighthouse (your coach). You feel comfort and excitement that there is other support ahead.

The Talent Lighthouse shines light on to you to allow you to explore your own talent, increasing your own awareness and letting you see skills you have that maybe you never discovered before or had forgotten about. It listens to you in a way you never felt before, it isn’t judging your choice of journey or timing but supports you by questioning where you want to go and helps you to see how to get there. The support and guidance helps you recognize what else is out there and where danger and opportunities could lie. It awakes your curiosity to explore further and its calmness gives you the confidence to travel on further supported by the continual light shining and the dependable stability of the lighthouse.

The Coaching Process – Talent Lighthouse

It doesn’t matter if you have no idea what coaching is. The Talent Lighthouse has the experience to guide you through the coaching process. The diagram and description above hopefully gives you a clear visual picture about the lighthouse coaching model but let me explain a bit more about the nuts and bolts of a coaching relationship.

Firstly – it is your choice whether to approach the lighthouse for coaching. You should never feel like you have to be coached but you should want to engage in the relationship. It might not be the right time for this to happen or alternatively you might find that one of the other lighthouses (coaches) out there is more suitable for the journey you are taking and that is fine. You should remember this the whole time you are being coached and you are welcome to engage in a trial to see whether this will relationship will work for you.

The relationship is built on trust and everything that is discussed is confidential. A coach’s aim is to help each client learn more about themselves and to assist them to achieve their goals. Coaching is a form of learning which although can feel indulgent as it is focused only on you is incredibly effective in speeding up your understanding of yourself and what you need to do to move forward. Examining yourself and what you want in a regular dedicated time can allow you to discover more about your unique talents and also to understand what you really want. No one else can do this for you and that is the point. It is your journey and you will plan out where and how you will travel and how fast you will go.

A coach will listen to you in a way that no one else will do – it is without judgment and a coach will not offer you advice. Naturally curious, there will be a lot of questions to ask you and also the coach will reflect back what is heard. This can help to clarify your intentions about the journey you want to take. By taking time to really analyze your own strengths and expectations for the future enables clearer goals to be set. You will then go through a process of defining how you get there and the support you need. In order to make the process succeed you should try to be as honest as you can be with yourself and give yourself the time you need to ensure that you know you can be triumphant.

Each session will begin with a hello and a chance to organize your thoughts by taking time to reflect back over what has happened since the last time we spoke. You will be asked what you would like to achieve in the time we have together and I will ensure I understand exactly what you would like to walk away with. It is your session so you can decide exactly what that looks like but I will keep the conversation on track and offer you the support you need. After exploring the topic we will ensure we have reviewed what you have learnt at the end.

Over a series of sessions the journey you are on should feel more manageable, the Talent Lighthouse has given you the opportunity to explore the options ahead of you and select what the next steps will be. The outcomes will hopefully be that you will feel more comfortable with your perception of your vessel, and the journey you have taken so far. The light has shone on you so you can understand more about yourself and the choices you have made. The Lighthouse will continue to be a strong support mechanism holding you accountable to your targets and will be there for you to return to in the future if you need.

I look forward to shining the light on your talent and supporting your journey.